Time
is running out for Philadelphia’s Divine Hotel…One woman is
tasked with saving two children who lived at the once majestic hotel
but she soon learns that there is more to their history and the hotel
than she ever thought possible. To save them she’s going to have to
re-set the clock for everybody at the hotel and the only way to do
that is to go all the way back to 1964. Righting the wrongs of the
past will be no easy feat, because there are those willing to fight
to keep their sins buried in history.

A
long time ago, before most people can remember, a palace stood over
Philadelphia. It was a place of refuge for the weak and weary of the
city, a shining monument of marble, oak and brass that towered over
the metropolis.

Good
and evil were kept in balance there, until one day the scales tipped
and evil won out. As the years passed, the marble and brass were
stolen, and the oak was stripped of its shine. As the hotel fell into
ruin, its inhabitants followed. All was not lost, though, for there
was one chance to save the hotel—and its inhabitants—from this
fate. Hidden not far away was an otherworldly gift meant to right the
wrongs of the past, if only the right person could find it.

2002

“You
can’t catch me,” the boy shouted as he flung open the doors to
the dilapidated dining hall. The room was lit by slivers of sun that
peeked through the cracks in the high ceiling, and sporadic beams of
light that shone through hastily fastened boards covering the room’s
many broken windows.

All
that was left of the once great hall were water-stained plaster
ornaments positioned high up on the ceiling, far out of reach.
Everything of value was gone. The light fixtures, hardwood floors,
door knobs, and every last bit of shined marble and brass had been
stripped away. The floors were an uneven terrain of warped wood and
broken boards. The edges of the room were a tapestry of trash, but
the center of the great space, which had once housed long oak dining
tables, was completely bare.

The
girl in pursuit walked gingerly over the broken boards. She kept her
eyes on the ground and squinted to keep the dust floating through the
air out of her eyes.

“Slow
down, Darrius!” she shouted.

She
paused in front of a hole in the floor, which blocked her passage
into the great room. She stared down and saw only darkness, which
could mean the hole opened only down to the next floor, or could
possibly reach as far down as all ten floors.

She
watched him move with feline grace over the broken boards and
gathered her courage. She involuntarily held her breath, took two
steps back, and focused her eyes on a point just past the opening.

She
ran as fast as her legs would carry her toward the gap. She pushed
off and wobbled as a loose board slid away from her. She fell
awkwardly forward and threw her arms out to catch herself. She
scratched her palms reaching out for the ledge and only managed a
precarious hold. If she’d weighed just a bit more she might have
fallen in.

Darrius
raced to her. The strain of holding on was too much for her, one by
one her fingers were slipping, the pinkies first, then the ring
fingers, and then all at once the rest gave way and she fell. Darrius
grasped her wrist just before she slipped out of sight. He grunted as
he pulled her up and out of the hole. As soon as he had her over the
edge he fell backwards and she landed beside him with a thud.

Carol
lay back and caught her breath as Darrius joked, “I could’ve made
that jump with you on my back, you chicken.”

She
stared up at the ceiling and pointed at a plaster fruit basket.
“Darrius, look, the ceiling. It’s changed again.”

He
looked up and said, “I don’t see anything different. You always
think that ceiling looks different. Who do you think would get all
the way up there and fix the ceiling?”

“It
does change,” she exclaimed. “It always looks like it’s about
to fall apart, then it’s patched back up. Yesterday that fruit
basket was just a hole in the ceiling.”

He
laughed so hard the ground shook beneath him. When he stopped he
realized the floor was shaking without any work from him, and he
bolted upright.

“What
is that?” Carol demanded, as she jumped up and looked down at the
floor.

“It’s
somebody pounding,” Darrius yelled as he, too, jumped up to his
feet.

More
knocks rang out around the hall, shaking up dust, which floated
freely through the room. Suddenly a shout could be heard below their
feet. “Keep it down,” followed by a more distant yell, “Shut
up.”

When
the pounding ceased they could hear the wail of sirens outside.
Darrius jumped up and ran to peek through the boards.

“What?”
Carol asked.

“It’s
the cops.”

“What
do we do?”

“We
run.”

About
the Author:

You
may know Nicole as the syndicated humor columnist, “The Starter
Mom,” or from her Best-Selling Saints Mystery Novels. Because of
the series’ popularity, Amazon chose it for their Stipend Program
to be turned into an audiobook at their expense.

An
award-winning journalist and author, she was recognized by Writer's
Digest as a top fiction writer in 2015 and won honorable mention in
genre fiction from the Writer's Digest annual self-publishing
competition for her Saints Mystery Series.

Nicole
writes for two daily newspapers in the greater Philadelphia area and
as a columnist for Happenings Media. Prior to working as a writer,
Nicole was an Agency Social Worker for the Philadelphia Department of
Human Services, where she first learned about the subject of her
latest novel, Divine Hotel.

Nicole
grew up on a rural farm in Southern Michigan, but she was always a
city girl at heart. She still has a penchant for
straight-from-the-dairy cheese, but otherwise prefers to spend her
days in New York and Philadelphia and her adopted hometown in Bucks
County. The mother of two, she is a soprano in The Bucks County
Woman’s Chorus and an amateur pianist.

Interview

Where are you from? A small town in Michigan. If we
were face to face I’d hold up my palm and point to the middle. When somebody
uses their hand as a map you know they’re from Michigan.

Tell us your latest news? My new book is launching
today, how exciting is that. And On April 11th, I will be giving a
talk at the Wynnefield Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library on my
inspiration. In May my publisher is taking me to Book Expo America for a book
signing, which will be very exciting.

When and why did you begin writing? I’ve been
writing since I was about eight years old. I wrote a book called, “The Bunnies
Got Scared” which won a contest to be published in a local newspaper. More
serious writing didn’t begin until high school, when I joined my high school
newspaper.

When did you first consider yourself a writer? I’ve
been writing for newspapers since 2000, but I didn’t consider myself a novelist
until I finished my first book. I felt a lot more comfortable calling myself an
author after people started buying my books.

What inspired you to write your first book? My
Saints Mystery Series books were inspired by my visits to my brother in New
Orleans. He is in construction and after Hurricane Katrina he decided to go down
there to find work. He stayed very busy down there. So much in fact he never
came back. My sister and I went down to New Orleans to visit him and my sister stayed
too. I’m the lone northerner amongst my siblings now, but you can tell from the
Saints books I have some of the south in my heart.

Do you have a specific writing style? Absolutely,
short and to the point. Many people comment that they can tell I’m a
journalist, just the facts Max. I take it as a compliment.

How did you come up with the title? The Divine Hotel
was easy. The Hotel I was inspired by was called The Divine Hotel and it fit
perfectly with the theme of the book. Divine can also mean of a deity, it
implies magic, something a bit more than the rest of us. There are hints at
magic in this book from the first page.

Is there a message in your novel that you want
readers to grasp? This book is in many ways a parable about the dangers of
unchecked greed and good intentions gone awry.

How much of the book is realistic? The book is time
travel fiction. And, unless the government is hiding something, there is no
real way to travel through time. But some of the historical happenings, such as
the cameo by Jim Jones, known for his cult which poisoned its followers with
Kool-Aid really was poking around at that period in time. The larger things
were happening but my guest stars were made up characters. I would say it’s
sort of like Outlander with a lot less romance.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events
in your own life? This book was inspired by the real Divine Hotel and my time
as a social worker in Philadelphia. None of the people are real, though there
is a historical cameo by a fictionalized version of Father Divine, the very
famous civil rights leader who used to, with the help of his followers, own the
hotel.

What books have most influenced your life most? I
have been most influenced by short stories. One of my favorites is Poe’s “The
Murders at Rue Morgue.” I also lugged the very heavy Stephen King book
“Nightmares and Dreamscapes” across the country with me and read it during my
cousins college graduation. I still remember them making me put the book down
to take a picture.

If you had to choose, which writer would you
consider a mentor? Erin McNelis, she is a short story writer and literary
writer. While she has not published many things she has been a wonderful
sounding board over the years. She has been a great source of encouragement. I
don’t know if I would have gotten this far without her.

What book are you reading now? I’m supposed to be
reading Orphan Train for my personal book club. I’ll get it finished,
hopefully.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your
interest? I have been very inspired by Allison Janda. I worked with her when we
both started out. She has unbelievable energy. She’s written a series of food
based mysteries that are so cute, the Marian Moyer series.

What are your current projects? A children’s book
about Llamas, “There’s a Llama at my window.” and A new Saints Mystery Novel,
“Searching for Saints.”

What would you like my readers to know? If any of
your readers are looking to write a book I heavily encourage them to get down
to business and write it. Once you have written one book you know you can do
it. Technology and the climate of publishing have made it the best time ever to
write a book and actually find an audience.

You can find Nicole’s latest book Divine
Hotel for sale on Amazon for an introductory $2.99 special. Her Saint’s
Mystery Series are also available on Amazon starting with To
Murder a Saint.